ND's Carter wrestles with demotion

January 22, 2006|TOM NOIE Tribune Staff Writer

Snow continued to slide out of the Wisconsin sky late Friday as Notre Dame junior guard Russell Carter walked out a service entrance of the Bradley Center. Following yet another quiet contribution, Carter stepped onto the charter bus that would bring him and his Irish teammates from Milwaukee back to campus. But for the second straight game, it was as if he also had stepped back in time, lost somewhere within his forgettable freshman and sophomore seasons. Counted on to contribute his skills to an athletically-challenged team during the all-important Big East conference schedule -- a 16-game slate that would determine the direction of a Notre Dame team trying to get back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three seasons, Carter has seen his playing time all but eliminated the past two games. His role was reduced to nearly nothing in a 67-65 loss to Marquette. After opening the week of practice as a starter, something he had done with some success through the season's first 15 games, Carter found himself on the bench to begin Friday. Forty minutes later, his final line in the box score looked familiar, one he would have posted earlier in his career when turning to him as an option was an afterthought. Carter played one minute with one offensive foul and one turnover. No shot attempts for someone who can get to the basket against most defenders. No rebounds for someone who came into the game third on the team in that category, second on the offensive end. No points for someone who had averaged 12.6, including 16 to tie his career high, the first three league games. No factor. What has happened to Carter's place in the program? "I...don't...know," he said slowly. "I don't know. When (coach Mike Brey) puts me in, I'll be ready. I can't be mad or frustrated at anyone." Carter was asked if he has slipped out of the rotation in favor of freshman Kyle McAlarney because of poor performances in practice or a sour attitude off the court. "I just come to practice every day and play my hardest, simple as that," he said. Brey's explanation may be a sign of what's to come for Notre Dame, now 10-6 overall, 1-4 in the Big East. Starting McAlarney was necessary, he said, because his ball skills and shooting stroke help take the pressure off starting guards Colin Falls and Chris Quinn. Both continued to play heavy minutes and shouldered much of the offensive expectations on a night where the Irish labored the final 2:46 of another close game without a basket. Falls scored 21 points and Quinn added 18 against Marquette, but the two squeezed off 14 and 16 shots, respectively. The scenario has little chance of changing for the final six weeks of the regular season. McAlarney made his second career start, and first alongside Quinn, where the Irish backcourt was vertically-challenged at 6-foot-2 and 6-1, against Golden Eagles freshman Dominic James. He also was recruited by Notre Dame. James and McAlarney were seen by some as potential consolation prizes once former schoolboy star Greg Paulus chose Duke over Notre Dame before his senior season. "We have to have him in there a lot," Brey said of McAlarney, who finished with eight points, four assists and four rebounds. "We just need to keep getting him experience." That will come at the expense of Carter, who has played a total of five minutes the last two league games after averaging 29.6 the first three. "I have no other choice but to stay positive," he said. "If I start thinking negatively, it will affect my play." Brey indicated that Carter has a tendency to get himself, and the Irish in trouble with quick offensive fouls. He picked up two in the first four minutes of the game against Providence on Jan. 14, then was never heard from the rest of the night. On Friday, Carter was in the game for all of 34 seconds before being whistled for going too strong to the basket. He left for the bench soon afterward and sat for the final 31:19. Is Carter pressing to make something happen, maybe knowing that his time on the floor will likely be short? "Not necessarily," he said. "They're just calls. I mean, they can go either way." Brey left open the door open to the possibility, now getting slimmer with each passing game, that Carter can again be a factor when the Irish return to action Tuesday at home against Georgetown, which beat top-ranked Duke on Saturday. "We've got to keep working him, because we're certainly going to need him," Brey said of Carter before choosing to mention the contributions from freshman Ryan Ayers. Ayers, who had two steals in five minutes, could move past Carter in the playing rotation in the coming weeks. "Russ needs to keep working," Brey said, "because this is a long haul. He could be back in there for 18-20 minutes on Tuesday." A definite maybe for someone who was once a definite.